1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (66 page)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) tapenade

1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler.

If the bass is in one piece, cut it into two equal portions. Brush with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil and put it under a broiler set on high, 3 or 4 inches (7 to 10 cm) from the heat. The length of time the fish will need to broil will depend on its thickness. I use fillets about 1½ inch (4 cm) thick, and they take about 5 to 6 minutes per side.

While the fish is broiling, slice the quarter-onion in half lengthwise and then slice as thinly as possible. Put the rest of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté together for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the tapenade, stir in, and sauté for a few more minutes. (Remember that somewhere in here you’ll need to turn the fish!)

Now, stir the vinegar and lemon juice into the mixture in your skillet and let it cook down for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and let the whole thing cook down for another minute.

When the fish is done, place it on two serving plates. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, spoon over the fish, and then serve.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 4 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 32 grams of protein.

1½ pounds (680 g) sea bass fillets

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

Easy Orange Salsa (page 496)

¼ cup (16 g) chopped fresh cilantro

Cut your fish into individual portions, if needed. Sprinkle it on both sides with salt and pepper and the cumin. Heat the olive oil in a big heavy skillet over medium-low heat and throw in the fish. Give it 4 to 5 minutes per side or until opaque all the way through. Remove each portion to a serving plate; top each with 2 tablespoons (30 g) Easy Orange Salsa and 1 tablespoon (4 g) chopped cilantro.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 32 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 1 g usable carb.

Have you had one too many meals of dried-out fish? Try brining it!

2 pounds (910 g) red snapper fillets

FOR THE BRINE:

cup (100 g) kosher salt

3 quarts (2.8 L) water

2 tablespoons Jerk Seasoning (page 484 or purchased)

FOR THE SEASONINGS:

4 cloves garlic, crushed

8 teaspoons olive oil

1 rounded tablespoon Jerk Seasoning (page 484 or purchased)

¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

4 teaspoons soy sauce

4 scallions, sliced

To make the brine: In a shallow, nonreactive container big enough to hold your fish fillets, dissolve the salt in the water—this is easier if the water’s warm. Stir in the Jerk Seasoning. If you’ve used warm water, let it cool to no warmer than tepid before adding your fish fillets. Make sure they’re submerged in the brine and let them sit for 1 to 2 hours in the fridge.

Okay, time’s up. Start a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Drain the brine off of your fish. In a rimmed plate or pie plate, mix together the garlic and olive oil and then stir in the Jerk Seasoning, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Reserve some marinade, lay the brined fillets in the rest of this marinade, and turn them over once or twice to coat. Let the fillets sit for 15 minutes or so. Then grill over a medium fire, 3–5 minutes per side. Baste both sides with the reserved seasoning mixture when you turn the fish.

When the fish is flaky, remove to serving plates and top each fillet with a sliced scallion.

Yield:
4 servings

Each serving will have 4 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber, for a usable carb count of 3 grams (less if you use the Jerk Seasoning recipe); 41 grams protein.

This is a classic flavor combination, and after you make this, you’ll understand why.

4 salmon steaks, each 1 inch thick

4 tablespoons (56 g) butter, softened

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon dry dill weed or 1 tablespoon (3.3 g) minced fresh dill Olive oil

Put the butter, lemon juice, and dill in a food processor with the S-blade in place. Pulse until well combined, scraping down the sides once or twice if necessary. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can simply beat these things together by hand.) Chill.

About 15 minutes before dinner, preheat the broiler and rub each salmon steak on both sides with olive oil. Arrange the steaks on the broiler rack and broil 8 inches (20 cm) from high heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until the salmon flakes easily.

Place on the serving plates, top each steak with a tablespoon of the lemon-dill butter, and serve.

Yield:
4 very generous servings

Each with only a trace of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and about 34 grams of protein.

This dish has all the goodness of salmon in an elegant sauce.

2 salmon fillets, 6 ounces (170 g) each, skin still attached

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 scallions, finely minced

2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped cilantro

¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine

2 tablespoons (12 g) grated ginger

4 tablespoons (60 g) sour cream

Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat and start sautéing the salmon in it—you want to sauté it for about 4 minutes per side.

While the fish is sautéing, crush the garlic, mince the scallions, and chop the cilantro.

When both sides of the salmon have sautéed for 4 minutes, add the wine to the skillet, cover, and let the fish cook an additional 2 minutes or so until cooked through. Remove the fish to serving plates.

Add the garlic, scallions, cilantro, and ginger to the wine and butter in the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let them cook for a minute or two. Add the sour cream, stir to blend, and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 36 grams of protein

This dish also has lots of EPA—the good fat that makes salmon so heart-healthy!

This is impressive for how simple it is, and it will feed a crowd.

1 whole salmon, cleaned and gutted, about 6 pounds (2.7 kg)

1 lime, sliced paper-thin

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 Anaheim chili pepper, cut in matchstick strips

3 scallions, sliced thin lengthwise

2 tablespoons (30 g) olive oil

This is simple. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Lay the salmon in a great big roasting pan you’ve sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Now stuff everything else except the oil into the salmon, distributing everything evenly along the length of the body cavity.

I like to sew the salmon up, using a heavy needle and cooking twine. Now rub it with olive oil on both sides and throw it in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. It’s a good idea to stick a thermometer in the thick part of the flesh to see if it’s done; it should read between 135°F and 140°F (about 60°C).

Cut into slices, with some of the stuffing in each serving.

Yield:
12 servings

Each with 45 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 1 g usable carbs.

This is a great recipe to serve at a party since it will feed a dozen or more people. It will impress them, too!

1 whole salmon, cleaned and head removed, between 6 and 7 pounds (3 kg)

1 lemon, sliced as thinly as humanly possible

6 scallions, any wilted bits trimmed, and sliced very thinly lengthways

4 tablespoons (24 g) fresh oregano leaves, minced

1 tablespoon (2.4 g) fresh thyme leaves, stripped off their stems

First, start a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. If you’re using charcoal, once the coals are ash-covered you’ll want to use fireproof tongs to arrange them in a strip roughly the length and width of your fish. Either way, charcoal or gas, you’ll want a medium-hot fire.

Lay the salmon out on a platter. Stuff the lemon slices into the body cavity, distributing them evenly along the length of the fish. Do the same with the scallions. Mix together the two herbs and stuff them into the body cavity as well.

Now, run toothpicks or skewers through the edges of the fish and use cooking twine to lace around the skewers to hold the edge of the fish closed. Or if you prefer, use a big needle and cooking twine to sew the salmon closed.

Slash the fish every couple of inches, down to the bone, to let the heat in. Now place the fish on an oiled grill over the fire and close the
lid. After 15 to 20 minutes, turn the salmon very carefully, using two spatulas, and re-situate it over the fire.

Re-close the lid and give your salmon another 15 to 20 minutes. It’s done when it flakes easily and an instant-read thermometer registers between 135°F and 140°F (60°C). Use your two spatulas to carefully remove the fish to a platter and serve.

Yield:
12 servings

Each serving will have just 1 gram of carbohydrate, a trace of fiber, and 49 grams of protein.

This is so simple and classic. The salmon comes out tender and moist.

2 salmon steaks (totaling about 1 pound, or 455 g)

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 pinch salt or Vege-Sal

2 tablespoons (7.8 g) chopped fresh parsley

Combine the butter, lemon juice, mustard, and salt or Vege-Sal in a slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir together.

Now put the salmon steaks in the slow cooker and turn them once or twice to coat. Re-cover the slow cooker and let it cook for 1 hour. Spoon some of the pot liquid over the salmon and sprinkle with the parsley before serving.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 46 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 1 g usable carbs.

I saw something like this being sold for outrageous amounts of money in the fish case at the local grocery store, and I thought, “I can do that!”

3 ounces (85 g) cream cheese, softened